Up in the Hills

After the last few missions, some new stuff opens up on the Fyrestone Bounty Board, including this one, which is worth doing for the reward and relative ease, as well as being conveniently in the same neighborhood as the next required mission. It takes place in the Arid Hills, which can be accessed near where Shep is.

Arid Hills is a relatively small area traversable on foot. You'll meet Alpha Skags here, which are formidable, so pack a good shotgun and shells for this trip. Sniping to start the fight is a good idea as well. After this, you'll mostly have to deal with a variety of bandits, so other kinds of weapons and tactics will work. You're making your way north through a couple of camps, and finally to a two-level camp that is pretty easily cleared out. This is where the hunt begins.

Unlike previous scavenging missions, this one does not have specific map indicators. The map destination is just a generic location indicating the camp as a whole. There are four parts in all. When you approach the upper level on the south side of the camp and go up the path, the first shack on your left leads to a ledge that has the Sniper Rifle Body. The Stock is on the roof of a shack on the north side, just across the bridge, near a set of three lockers.

The Sight is by a discarded mattress on the lower floor, west of the shack where you found the Stock. The Barrel is on a ledge in the northeastern part of the camp on the upper level. Before handing in this mission, consider just completing the next one while you're at it.

This one is just a bit further north in the Arid Hills, so it doesn't make sense to make a separate trip, especially since you almost certainly already accepted the mission when you completed "Sledge" The Mine Key." The entrance to the safe house is just a hair north of the camp from the last mission. Before you enter, be sure to check out the red chest on top of the entrance.

This stage is FPS fundamentals at their purest. It's a tight space, so grenades are super effective. The constrained flow also means enemies will be in front of you and unlikely to surround you, which makes taking cover very effective (and also necessary - there are a lot of baddies here!).

We're going to interrupt to mention this mission since you can get and complete it while in the Safe House and it's zero risk and has some great perks. You'll start to hear a Claptrap bawling about at the first checkpoint. You'll go down a short flight of stairs, and after a firefight, you will be able to go left or right. The left way leads to a larger open area and further towards your goal, but the left one leads to a red chest with your first (probably) Rocket Launcher and a Claptrap in need of repairs. Talk to him to initiate the quest, and then head back up to the room with the last checkpoint. If you go to the upper level of this room and look at the ceiling you can see a repair kit on top of some ductwork. You can't climb up there, but you can jump and grab the kit in midair. Take it back to the Claptrap to complete this easy side-quest. Follow him into the room nearby to pick up some excellent weaponry.

Head into the big room, which is full of Psychos of all sizes, so have your shotty at the ready. You'll start seeing Badass Psychos now, which are especially dangerous. Still, conserve your rockets and use shotguns. Work your way deeper into the lower levels of the base. Shortly before you go into the final room there are a couple ammo chests to stock up.

In the round arena, you have to face your first proper boss in a while, the Roid Rage Psycho. This guy's biggest weakness is his physical size. He's an easy target for your new Rocket Launcher. Alternately, a grenade modded with Explosive Contact can be equally effective. Once the little guys start swarming, try to focus on them because they can be a more immediate threat. All of these guys are dumb as dirt, of course, so just backpedaling around the room is enough of a technique. When you're done, examine the hanging switch in the middle of the room and get the key.

This one is more of a detour, but it's still in Arid Hills, so you might as well go for it. Stock up before you engage, though since this is a challenge. Grenades with Explosive Contact and the Rocket Launcher will help to soften him up, but with the quantity of Skags in this fight, you're going to need the shotgun. Moe is very aggressive, and has fewer HP than Marley, so he's easy to fight with basic backwards running techniques while you also thin out the herd. Marley is a bit more of a challenge, since he's stronger and spits lightning. Fire damage is useful, and it's also possible to shoot his projectiles if you're good. This mission is definitely easier co-op since shooting him from the front deals a lot less damage that attacking from behind.